


A Rose in Need

by Zhana



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Flower shopping, I Can't Write Angst, Theft, Trespassing, so not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 10:47:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16157480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhana/pseuds/Zhana
Summary: Ruby has an emergency, and desperate times call for desperate measures.





	A Rose in Need

What was she going to do? This was a disaster. A nightmare!

Ruby ran her hands through her short crimson hair, ruffling the mess further in frustration as she trudged down the street. She could feel tears pricking at her eyes, guilt settling in her stomach as she desperately tried to think of what to do. Dropping her arms to her sides, she reached into one of the pockets of her bright red hoodie, pulling out her phone.

Opening the Maps App, she brushed her thumb over the screen, silver eyes glancing down the list of flower shops nearby. She bitterly noted the "Closed" status of the top result, before clicking the number for the next as she kept walking. Over and over she repeated this, making her way down the listings, asking each shop if they had what she needed; her disappointment growing with each successive "No".

She gave up when she'd gone far enough down the list that the next shop was all the way across town; there was no way she'd be able to make it all the way there, then go to her destination, while there was still daylight. She doubted she could make that trip even if there were enough hours in the day. Thrusting her phone back into her pocket before she could throw it to the ground, she again furiously roused her hair, letting out an anguished howl as she dropped herself onto a bench.

The tears she'd felt welling in her eyes before flowed freely now, wetting her hands as she mashed her palms against her eyes. It was a bright, beautiful sunny day, but she felt like she was in the middle of a downpour.

"Dammit," she muttered to herself, letting her arms drop to her lap, leaving her staring at the ground.

Sighing in defeat, she raised her head, eyes widening at a sight just a few blocks down the street. In an instant, she was up, bolting across the road and down the street until she came to the housing block at the other end. Skidding to a halt, panting for breath, she looked upon _exactly_ what she needed. Just beyond the fence, around the corner of one of the upscale townhouses, she could see a bush of white roses tucked away in the back yard.

Staring in wonder at her good fortune for a moment, Ruby eventually pried her eyes from them, quickly darting over to the home's door, pounding on it with her fist. She rocked back and forth on her heels anxiously as she waited. Minutes ticked by. She tried the doorbell. She could hear the chime echoing through the insides of the house, yet still no one came to the door. Her disappointment set in all the more intensely after the burst of hope; no one was home.

Stepping away from the door sullenly, she looked up as she passed by the corner, again able to glimpse the roses she needed. She couldn't give up, just like that, could she? No! She _needed_ those roses. Just one! She would never forgive herself if she failed to bring at least one.

Coming to a decision, she worried at her lip, glancing up and down the street nervously. No one in sight. Before the rational, responsible part of her brain could convince her better, she'd grabbed near the top of the fence, and thrown herself over in one smooth, athletic motion. Landing in a squat, she kept low to the ground, quietly stalking between the sides of the houses towards the rose bush.

Her goal was within sight, she reached out to puck one pristine white flower.

"And just _what_ do you think you're _doing_?" Ruby's entire body froze at the chillingly harsh voice.

* * *

 

It was a beautiful day, she had to admit. Not just because the sun was out, the few clouds in the sky doing nothing to obscure its warm light. Not just because the weather was that perfect balance of warm and cool that let her wear whatever she liked without a hint of discomfort. It was a beautiful day because Weiss could actually enjoy it.

She had finished her daily allotment for both her studies and personal training, had taken a relaxing shower, and had no extra work to handle for the office. She was, in the simplest, most wonderful sense, free; for the day at least. She usually kept herself so busy, the prospect of genuine free time was rather confounding.

Eventually though, she'd settled upon taking the time to read a book she'd set aside some time ago. Noting the pleasant weather through her window, she stepped out into her yard, taking in a deep breath of fresh air before making her way to a hand-carved wooden bench set to one side of the immaculately landscaped garden. She took a moment to bask in the sunlight and admire the flowers. It wasn't hard to guess what her favourite colour was, looking at the arrangements. From her hair, to her clothes, to most of the roses, the lilies, tulips, and the Queen Anne's lace, there was white everywhere. There was the occasional splash of colour; some red roses, violets, orchids and irises, but the white dominated.

Settling in, enjoying the relaxing scents, she opened her book to where she'd last marked it. She found that she had to backtrack a few chapters compared to the mark, finding a part she distinctly remembered and reading forward to refresh herself, and it wasn't long before she was engrossed in the story. She wasn't sure how much time past as she flipped through the pages, but the time came when she was stirred from her trance.

Blinking in confusion as she was drawn from the world of her novel, Weiss looked around her back yard, searching for the source of the disturbance. Gradually, her senses zeroed in on the sound of knocking coming from her home. Frowning at the insistence of the banging, she resolved to ignore it; not something she would normally do, but today she felt like being a bit selfish in keeping to herself. Returning to her book, she scowled and looked back to the house when the knocking was replaced by the incessant ringing of her doorbell.

"Go away," she muttered under her breath, willing that whomever it was assailing her door would obey the command.

Part of her worried if it might not be a genuine emergency. Someone from the office? No, she had her phone with her, and that would be the best way to contact her. The fire department? She didn't see nor smell any smoke which would surely stand out on such a clear day, nor hear any sirens. Officers coming to alert the neighbourhood of a killer on the loose? Ridiculous, and again, no sirens.

Finally the ringing stopped, and the knocking did not resume, allowing Weiss to again focus her mind upon her book. Or so she'd hoped. She tensed up when, hardly a minute after the noise had stopped, she heard what sounded like a grunt of effort, and a hard thump on the ground. Had someone just jumped her fence?

The "Killer on the Loose" idea suddenly didn't seem so ridiculous, and in an instant Weiss had abandoned her book, running over to press herself to the wall of her home, watching the corner she'd heard the noise from around like a hawk. Her hands fumbled around, eventually grasping a shovel that she pulled close to her body, ready to defend herself.

Soon the source of the noise crept into sight; a young girl surprisingly, around her own age by the looks of it. She was dressed casually in a bright red hoodie and black slacks; well-coordinated with her deep crimson hair, a part of Weiss' mind couldn't help but note. She certainly didn't _seem_ like a psychotic murderer. A thief? Her attire certainly didn't seem fitting for that either.

Silently, Weiss moved away from her house, stepping closer to the intruder, watching her sneak towards her rose bush; reaching out to pluck one of the white blooms.

"And just _what_ do you think you're _doing_?"

* * *

 

When she turned around to see her confronter, a few thoughts ran through Ruby's mind in short order. First, _white_. Snowy white hair done up in a long, off-center ponytail, a crisp white blouse with matching skirt, and pale skin that made it a bit hard to tell where flesh and cloth diverged. Second, Ms. White was as pretty as she was monochromatic. As the initial shock of her stark appearance wore off, she noted the icy blue eyes glaring down at her; one eye marred by a faded scar going through it that accentuated her refined features.

And finally she noted the shovel leveled at her throat. It was equal parts comedic and intimidating, seeing this dainty woman in white holding a shovel like it was a sword. More intimidating though because she _definitely_ looked ready to use it on her.

"Umm... g-getting a rose?" Ruby answered the question uncertainly; raising her arms to the sides of her head in a show of surrender.

The shovel-wielding girl scowled deeper, thrusting her improvised weapon towards her just a bit, "Does this look like a flower shop to you?!"

"N-No-!"

"So you just make a habit of stealing flowers from people's gardens on a whim?!"

"No!" Ruby snapped back, growing more defensive, "But the one I usually go to was closed, and no others nearby had white roses in stock!"

"Usual flower shop, or usual garden you pilfer?" Weiss questioned with a sneer.

"I'm not a thief!"

"Evidence to the contrary."

"Listen, I'll pay you for one, okay?"

"Right, because that's the issue here; not your trespassing."

"I was desperate, okay?! I _need_ one!"

Weiss was thrown by the genuine, indisputable desperation in the girl's voice. She noticed then that the girl's silvery eyes looked a bit red and swollen, as though she'd been crying recently. Yet despite being certain her desperation was real, she still refused to simply let the literal trespass go.

"Fine then, if you're truly so desperate, I'm sure you won't mind showing me _exactly_ what it is that you _need_ it so badly for, yes?"

"W-What?" Ruby staggered back a bit, surprised enough by the request to momentarily forget the threat of the shovel, rising to her feet as she stared wide-eyed at Weiss, "Can't I just tell you?"

"And why should I believe the word of a thief, hmm?"

"Please can you just listen? It's for-"

Ruby was cut off, flinching back as the shovel was again thrust at her face.

"You will _show me_ , or I'll call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing."

"Would you jus-?!"

Ruby again stopped mid-sentence, seeing Weiss pull out her phone, finger hovering over the emergency call button. She raised one challenging eyebrow, watching as Ruby shrank in on herself.

"Fine," she muttered, defeated.

"Good. Take your rose, and we'll be on our way."

* * *

 

Ruby stared down at the perfectly white rose in her hand, gently twirling it in her hand, admiring the shifting shadows of the petals against one another. A soft smile came to her as she walked along; she'd gotten what she needed, at least. Glancing over her shoulder, she winced at the glare of the girl following after her, quickly looking away as they continued down the sidewalk. At least she'd left the shovel at home.

Growing impatient, Weiss was just about to ask where she was being led, when Ruby suddenly came to an abrupt halt, almost causing the girl in white to crash into the red.

"What are you doing? Why did you stop?!" she asked, annoyed.

Ruby just kept staring at the rose silently, before raising her head, looking up to one side. Frowning, Weiss looked up too, following her gaze. The wrought iron sign that arched over the road above them caused every ounce of annoyance, indignation and anger to empty from her in an instant.

**Vale Cemetery**

Lowering her eyes back to the girl who had led her there, she found her looking back at her, smiling faintly, sorrow in her eyes. Guilt bubbled up inside, her mouth hanging open as she floundered, trying to say something, spout some apology as the pieces slid into place.

"Could you... wait here, please?" Ruby spoke before she was able to, "I promise I'm not gonna run away or anything. I'll pay you back," she held up the rose for emphasis, "I just... please?"

Weiss shut her mouth, nodding her head numbly. Ruby nodded back slightly, and Weiss watched as she walked under the archway, following the road into the cemetery grounds. Stepping forward, she leaned around the stone pillars that flanked the entrance, watching the girl in red walk further away between the graves. A part of her wondered if she was just a very good actor; if she was just throwing her off and making good her escape rather than face the consequences of her intrusion.

That nagging doubt just redoubled her guilt when she saw her stop, bending over to set the rose on a plaque in the ground, before lowering herself to sit on the grass in front of it, wrapping her arms around her knees. Weiss leaned away, pressing her back against the stone, slowly sinking down to the ground herself; she was the intruder here, and she would intrude no more than she already had.

She waited there, for how long she wasn't sure, stewing in her guilt, beating herself up for threatening to arrest someone who just wanted a flower to _leave at a grave_. She could have listened. Could have gotten an explanation. But no, she'd insisted on being _shown_. _"Take me to your loved one's grave and let me see you weep over their tomb!"_ What a wonderful person she was. Truly, a paragon of heart and compassion.

She gave a small start when she became aware of someone walking up beside her, looking up to see Ruby standing there. The guilt pounded anew in her chest when she noted her eyes looked redder; freshly shed tears, no doubt.

"Hey... you're still here?"

Weiss gave a faint nod, shifting to stand up.

"Listen, I'm sorry for breaking into your garden," she said, riffling through her pocket, "It's just, they were her favorites, and I just... I couldn't not give her one." She pulled a five dollar bill from her hoodie, holding it out to Weiss, "Here, like I told you."

Weiss stared down at the money blankly, before looking back up into Ruby's eyes, "What's your name?"

"Huh?" Ruby raised an eyebrow, confused.

"May I please have your name?" Weiss asked more softly.

"Oh, umm... yeah, sure. I'm Ruby; Ruby Rose."

"My name is Weiss Schnee," she crossed a hand over her chest, Ruby flinching back when she suddenly bowed forward, "I wish to apologize for my behaviour."

"H-Huh?!"

"The way I acted towards you was horribly insensitive. I realize it's little consolation for my abuses, but I would still offer my apologies for treating you so," she explained, righting herself.

"It's uh... well, I'm not gonna say 'it's fine', but... it's not like you knew what was going on with me, and I _did_ sneak into your garden to try and steal a rose."

"That doesn't matter," Weiss insisted, shaking her head, "I could tell you were distressed, and you attempted to explain the situation to me. Instead, I pushed you into leading me here," she gestured up to the graveyard's sign, "when I had no right to intrude as I have. Again, I am deeply sorry."

"Alright... so you... don't, want the money?"

Weiss shook her head, reaching out to push Ruby's hand away until she deposited the five back into her pocket, "I really do feel horrible for putting you through this. I realize it might be presumptuous of me, but is there anything I could do? To try and make up for it?"

Ruby blinked, giving a bit of a sniffle. Tugging one sleeve over her hand, she reached up to wipe at her eyes; for a split second, Weiss thought she saw a faint blush on her pale cheeks, "I-If you really want, how about dinner?"

"Umm?" Weiss blinked, her own cheeks gaining a bit of a pink warmth to them.

"I haven't eaten anything all day, and this whole... episode, has been pretty exhausting. So treat me to dinner?" Ruby clarified, smiling softly.

Weiss blinked again, nodding her head, slowly returning the small smile, "Of course. I'd be happy to."

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea got suggested in chat on a Discord server last night, and I got _stupid_ inspired by it, and basically wrote it _immediately_.
> 
> The idea was supposed to be angsty, but like, I don't know how to write angst? So yeah, don't really think it's actually angsty, or that I did justice to the idea, but here's my attempt anyway.


End file.
